Bleacher Report - Florida Marlins

Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins On Different Pages

Adam Bernacchio — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:56:41 -0500

It's really hard to argue with the way the Florida Marlins do business.

Despite having a payroll consistently at the bottom of baseball, in the last seven seasons, The Marlins have had five winning seasons and won a World Series.

They have a philosophy of building through the draft, develop their own talent, and once that talent gets to a point where they will make serious money, they trade them for more inexpensive talent.

Throughout the years, we have seen Juan Pierre, Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Lowell, Derek Lee, AJ Burnett, Brad Penny, and Ryan Dempster all come up with the Marlins and all be shipped away in trades or lost in free agency.

Now, after yesterday's meeting between the Marlins and Josh Johnson's agent Matt Sosnick, it looks like Johnson will be the latest Marlins star to be traded away.

According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick , Sosnick and the Marlins met yesterday to discuss a long-term contract for Johnson. Let's just say the conversation didn't go so well.

"Based on our conversations, there's no chance of doing a long-term deal with the Marlins," Sosnick said. "We made it clear that it was going to be this year or it wasn't going to happen. It was now or never. And the Marlins agreed."

According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, Sosnick was looking for a four-year, $40 million deal similar to the contract (four years, $39 million) that Zack Greinke signed with the Kansas City Royals last year.

This request is not unreasonable considering that at 25-years-old, Johnson is already one of the best young pitchers in the National League. In 2009, Johnson went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA and had 191 K's in 209 IP.

If you were to ask me, Johnson is already on my shortlist to win the National League Cy Young award in 2010.

So what did the Marlins offer this talented pitcher? Reports have the Marlins offering Johnson a three-year, $22 million deal.

That is a joke. Johnson could make triple that on the open market.

Whether that was the Marlins final offer remains to be seen. Johnson will be a free agent at the end of the 2011 season, and now will be the subject of trade talks moving forward.

If history tells us anything, the Marlins will trade Johnson for some top-level prospects and start the process all over again.

That's the Marlins way.

After all, who can argue with success?

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

Read more Florida Marlins news on BleacherReport.com

Florida Marlins, Josh Johnson on Different Pages

Adam Bernacchio — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:40:53 -0500

It’s really hard to argue with the way the Florida Marlins do business.

Despite having a payroll consistently at the bottom of baseball, the Marlins in the last seven seasons have won a World Series and have had five winning seasons out of those seven.

They have a philosophy of building through the draft, develop their own talent, and once that talent gets to a point where they will make serious money, they trade them for more inexpensive talent.

Now, after yesterday’s meeting between the Marlins and Josh Johnson’s agent Matt Sosnick, it looks like Johnson will be the latest Marlins star to be traded away.

According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick , Sosnick and the Marlins met yesterday to discuss a long-term contract for Johnson. Let’s just say the conversation didn’t go so well.

“Based on our conversations, there’s no chance of doing a long-term deal with the Marlins,” Sosnick said. “We made it clear that it was going to be this year or it wasn’t going to happen. It was now or never. And the Marlins agreed.”

This request is not unreasonable considering that 25, Johnson is already one of the best young pitchers in the National League. In 2009, Johnson went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA and had 191 K’s in 209 IP.

If you were to ask me, Johnson is already on my shortlist to win the National League Cy Young award in 2010.

So what did the Marlins offer this talented pitcher? Reports have the Marlins offering Johnson a three-year, $22 million deal.

That is a joke. Johnson could make triple that on the open market.

Whether that was the Marlins final offer remains to be seen. Johnson will be a free agent at the end of the 2011 season and now will be the subject of trade talks moving forward.

If history tells us anything, the Marlins will trade Johnson for some top-level prospects and start the process all over again.

That’s the Marlins way.

After all, who can argue with success?

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Josh Johnson and Florida Marlins Fail To Ink Long-Term Deal

Jeremiah Graves — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:41:22 -0500

Once a cheap team, always a cheap team.

The Florida Marlins have reportedly "reached an impasse ” with ace Josh Johnson regarding a proposed four-year contract extension.

Matt Sosnick, Johnson’s agent, was reportedly seeking a deal very similar to the four-year, $38 million deal that Zack Greinke signed a year ago.

The notoriously stingy Marlins, however, were only willing to guarantee the 25-year-old right-hander three years.

The proposed deal would have bought out Johnson’s first two years of free agency.

Currently, Johnson remains under club control through two more seasons.

According to Sosnick, this now means that Johnson will enter free agency after 2011 rather than make another attempt at signing an extension.

Johnson, coming off a season in which he posted a 15-5 record with a 3.23 ERA and struck out 191 batters in 209 innings, is one of baseball’s brightest young stars.

He was an All-Star for the first-time and became the unequivocal ace of a young Marlins pitching rotation.

Additionally, Johnson is an outstanding 22-6 with a 3.42 ERA in 47 starts since returning from Tommy John surgery midway through the 2008 campaign.

It seems apparent to everyone—excluding the Marlins, that is—that the deal would have been a steal for Florida.

“We were willing to give the Marlins what we thought was a significant break,” Sosnick said, “but they just weren’t comfortable going to the fourth year."

Although a long-term deal is now off the table, this opens the door for discussions about a potential trade.

Numerous teams figure to show interest if Johnson is made available, as he’d immediately be one of the top pitching options on the market.

Making a trade seem all the more likely is the Marlins' reputation for trading away arbitration-eligible players.

Recently the club traded arbitration-eligible outfielder Jeremy Hermida to Boston.

Last offseason starter Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham were moved to Washington to avoid arbitration.

Recent reports have the club exploring offers for second baseman Dan Uggla, who is expected to earn $7 million or more via arbitration this offseason.

Johnson earned $1.4 million in 2008, and figures to earn more than $4 million next season via arbitration.

"It seems to me that based on his age and performance,” Sosnick said, “Josh falls into that group of two or three starting pitchers out there whose next contracts could very well exceed $100 million."

As it currently stands, Johnson will enter the 2011-2012 free agent class of pitchers that could include Matt Cain, Felix Hernandez, Edwin Jackson, Wandy Rodriguez, and Justin Verlander.

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MLB 9s: Florida Marlins—Han-Ram, Pudge, Pierre Are Faces of the Franchise

Ash Marshall — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:54:44 -0500

One question, hundreds of answers: Which Marlin had the greatest offensive season at his position?

Major League baseball has been asking fans this same question in an effort to choose each team's best-ever collection of stars.

They are calling it MLB 9s.

How has Hanley Ramirez revolutionized shortstop? How many members of the 1997 and 2003 championship teams make the list? Was Preston Wilson's power more important than Juan Pierre's speed?

Here I have separated the contenders from the pretenders in an effort to pick my dream Marlins lineup. Have your say by commenting below or by voting on the MLB site here .

My other MLB 9s you might want to check out are:

Diamondbacks , Braves , Orioles , Red Sox , Cubs , White Sox , Reds , Indians , Rockies and Tigers .

Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez (2003)

Rodriguez had the best offensive year of any Marlins catcher when he hit 16 home runs, batted .297 and stole 10 bases in 2003.

Others—such as Charles Johnson in 1997 and Miguel Olivo in 2006—have had 16 or more homers. Others—such as Benito Santiago in 1993—have swiped 10 bags. Others—such as Paul LoDuca in 2005—have batted over .280.

But none of them combined the power, speed and average that Pudge did in that single season.

In his only year with the Marlins, Rodriguez hit 36 doubles, scored 90 runs, drove in 85, and had a .369 on-base percentage.

He may have been a long-way removed from his MVP season with the Rangers, but he still had the best offensive season of any Florida backstop.

Highlight Game: March 31, 2003 vs Philadelphia. In his first catching appearance on a National League team, Pudge hit a home run off of Kevin Millwood in the bottom of the sixth inning, with one on and two out. It was his first of 16 home runs that season.

Competition: Miguel Olivo and Charles Johnson are the likely runners-up. Johnson hit 19 home runs and knocked in 63 runs, while Olivo hit 16 homers, scored 52 runs and recorded 58 RBI.

First Base: Derrek Lee (2003)

Remember the time when the Marlins had Derrek Lee on their team? The year they beat the Yankees and won it all?

Lee was one of the linchpins of that championship team along with Mike Lowell and Juan Pierre.

Lee hit 31 home runs and stole 21 bases, batting .271 and leading the team with an .888 OPS.

Lee’s 31 home runs ranks third all-time among Marlins’ first basemen behind Carlos Delgado’s 33 and Mike Jacobs’ 32.

Highlight Game: April 12, 2003 vs Atlanta. In his first of three multi-home run games in the 2003 season, Lee went 2-for-5 with two jacks and five RBI.

He hit a two-run shot off of Russ Ortiz in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game at 3-3, and he legged out a three-run inside-the-park home run in the seventh off of Jason Marquis.

His second home run—the first inside-the-park home run of his career—gave the Marlins a 10-4 lead. They would win the game 12-5.

Competition: Lee stands out because of his speed. Without the 21 steals, his season would have been second to Delgado’s 2005 performance where he batted .301 with 33 home runs and 115 runs batted in—both records for a Florida first baseman.

Second Base: Luis Castillo (2000)

Castillo’s speed gets the nod over Dan Uggla’s power.

Castillo stole 62 bases—a National league high in 2000—and batted .334, scoring 101 runs at the top of the Marlins’ lineup.

He led the league with 158 singles, and his .418 on-base percentage was eighth best in the NL.

His .334 batting average is third all-time for a Florida shortstop behind Hanley Ramirez (.342) and Miguel Cabrera (.339).

Highlight Game: May 17, 2000 vs San Diego. Castillo ran wild against the Padres, stealing four bases in a 4-2 victory. He singled twice and walked three times, reaching base each of the five times he stepped to the plate.

He stole second base in the first, fourth, sixth and eighth inning, scoring once.

Competition: Dan Uggla hit 32 home runs in 2008, but he does not make the cut. While his RBI numbers (92) are impressive, his five steals and .260 batting average are the polar opposites of Castillo.

I am not saying Uggla had a bad year, or that he didn’t deserve to win this battle, it’s just my opinion that Castillo had the better year.

They are two very different players with completely different styles. Neither choice would be wrong.

Third Base: Miguel Cabrera (2007)

Cabrera took Mike Lowell’s solid 2003 campaign and added 54 points to his batting average to stand alone with the best single offensive season by a Marlins’ third baseman.

His 34 home runs rank second of any Marlin ever behind Gary Sheffield’s 42 in 1996, and his 119 RBI is third behind Preston Wilson’s 121 and Sheffield’s 120.

Cabrera was voted to his fourth consecutive All Star Game in 2007—his final season with the Marlins before being traded to the Tigers with Dontrelle Willis.

Cabrera also received a mention in my Baltimore Orioles MLB 9s article here.

Highlight Game: April 2, 2007 at Washington. Miggy got the Marlins off to the perfect start on Opening Day with a home run and four runs batted in against the Nationals.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a run and two walks, powering Florida past their NL East rivals 9-2.

The aforementioned Mike Lowell had set the standards for Marlins’ third basemen in 2003 with 32 home runs and 105 batted in.

He led the team in both categories on the way to the World Series victory, scoring 76 runs himself and batting .276. Cabrera blew him out of the water.

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez (2007)

Hanley was a different class in ’07, producing a truly sparkling year as the Marlins’ shortstop.

He hit 29 home runs, stole 51 bases, and scored 125 runs while batting .332 with 81 RBI.

He had the second most hits in the National League with 212, his batting average ranked fifth, and his 83 extra base hits ranked fourth.

His 51 steals are the most by any Marlins’ shortstop in a single season, his 29 home runs stand second only to the 33 he hit a year later, and his .332 average was the best ever until he beat it himself by 10 points in 2009.

His 48 doubles is also a record for a Marlin shortstop, as is his .562 slugging percentage.

Highlight Game: June 22, 2007 vs Minnesota. Ramirez had a knack of hitting solo home runs in 2007. Of the 29 bombs he hit, 23 came with the bases empty. Eight of these were lead-off home runs.

Probably the most important homer of the 2007 season for Hanley came against Juan Rincon and the Twins. With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning after the Marlins had blown a 4-2 lead in the top of the frame, Ramirez took a 2-1 pitch to deep left-center field for the go-ahead run.

The Marlins hung on and won the game 5-4.

Competition: Edgar Renteria had a decent season in 1997 with 90 runs and 32 steals, and Alex Gonzalez was good in 2003 with 18 home runs and 77 RBI, but neither come remotely close to what Ramirez accomplished in ’07.

Outfield: Gary Sheffield (1996)

Sheffield had a career year with the young Marlins back in 1996. His 42 home runs, .465 on-base percentage, .624 slugging percentage, 142 walks and 42 extra base hits are still franchise records some 13 years later.

The 19 home runs he hit at home and 23 homers he lashed on the road are also franchise highs.

In 1996, Sheffield’s .465 on-base percentage led the National League. He was voted to the All Star Game for the third time in his career and he won his second Silver Slugger award.

He finished sixth in the NL MVP voting behind Barry Bonds, Chipper Jones, Ellis Burks, Mike Piazza, and winner Ken Caminiti.

This is not the first time Sheffield appears on my MLB 9s list. Click here to read about his exploits in Detroit.

Highlight Game: August 10, 1996 vs New York Mets. Sheffield went 4-for-5 with a home run, double, three runs, and four batted in to help the Marlins beat the Mets 9-6.

The game marked one of two times he recorded four hits in a game, and one of seven times when he drove in four or more runs.

Outfield: Cliff Floyd (2001)

In his last full year with the Fish, Floyd hit 31 home runs, walked 59 times, and set career highs with 103 RBI and 123 runs scored.

He stole 18 bases and hit 44 doubles, batting .317 and earning his first and only All Star selection.

Highlight Game: June 9, 2001 at Toronto. Cliff Floyd made life tough on Chris Carpenter and the Blue Jays. He hit a three-run home run in the first inning and was then intentionally walked on three of his next four plate appearances. The final time he was walked, he stole second base and scored an insurance run on Mike Lowell’s double.

Juan Pierre (2003)

Juan Pierre was the speedy workhorse of the Marlins’ attack. 2003 was the first of five consecutive seasons when he never missed a game and over that time he stole more bases than any other player in baseball.

His 2003 season saw him steal a league-high 65 bases and record 204 base hits, including seven triples and a home run. He batted .305 and had a .361 on-base percentage.

Highlight Game: May 11, 2003 vs Colorado. The moral of this story is: “Don’t walk base-stealers.”

Pierre went 1-for-2 with three walks, three stolen bases and four runs. Every time he got on base, he ended up coming around to touch home plate. The Marlins won the game 7-2.

Competition: Jeff Conine batted .302 with 25 home runs and 105 RBI in 1995, Chuck Carr stole 58 bases in 1993, and Preston Wilson had 31 home runs, 121 batted in, and 36 stolen bases in 2000.

Wilson almost got my vote ahead of Pierre, but as hard as it is to ignore a franchise-high 121 RBI, his 187 strikeouts (also a Marlins record) absolutely killed him.

Pitcher: Dontrelle Willis (2007)

Asking which Marlins pitcher is the greatest with the bat is like asking which sexually-transmitted infection is the best for you.

There’s really no winners. But if you want an answer, I will say Dontrelle Willis and chlamydia.

Willis hit two home runs, two doubles and three triples, scoring 11 runs and batting in seven.

Competition: Chris Hammond wasn’t awful with the bat, as far as pitchers go, and both Alex Fernandez (1999) and Josh Johnson (2009) hit three home runs in a season. That said, it’s a tie, they all lose.

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Marlins' Chris Coghlan: A Special Player Who's Now 2009 NL Rookie of the Year

Hotnuke — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:16:53 -0500

Reading as much as I could find on the subject over the past month or two I came to only one conclusion:

Andrew McCutchen, J.A. Happ and Tommy Hanson were considered by many writers and bloggers throughout the nation as the top candidates for the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Among these writers and bloggers, any one of the three were considered worthy of the honor. To many of them, Happ was likely a shoe-in to get it.

They forgot about Chris Coghlan.

Apparently the Baseball Writers' Association of America didn’t forget, as they named the Florida Marlins’ left fielder the official NL Rookie of the Year for the 2009 season.

Edging the aforementioned Happ out by just seven first-place votes (17 to 10), and just 11 total votes (105 to 94), Coghlan became the third Marlins rookie to receive the honor, following in the footsteps of former Marlins’ star pitcher Dontrelle “D-Train” Willis (2003), as well as current Florida superstar shortstop Hanley Ramirez (2006).

While many are going to be shocked by this vote result, there is nothing truly surprising about it. What Happ, Hanson and McCutchen did this year was spectacular, but what Coghlan did was historic.

Happ finished the season with a 12-4 record and a 2.93 ERA in 35 games he appeared in (including 23 starts). He also led all NL rookies in innings (166), strikeouts (119) and complete games (three). But those impressive stats, like those of McCutcheon and Hanson, weren’t anything we haven’t seen from dozens of pitchers.

Some of the things Coghlan did haven’t been seen in MLB in 80-plus years.

Called up in May by the Marlins, Coghlan was originally an infielder. On May 7 the New Orleans Zephyrs received a phone call instructing them to move Coghlan to the outfield in preparation for a possible call-up.

Coghlan hadn’t played in the outfield since his days as a Little Leaguer, but the Marlins were desperate for help in the outfield. They knew the talent Chris possessed would give them the best chance, even if he wasn’t at his natural position.

They would end up getting more than they’d even hoped.

The very next day, May 8, he was called up to the majors, and made his major-league debut for the Florida franchise, going 2 for 4 at the plate. Just two days later, in a game against the Colorado Rockies, he made his very first start for the Fish as their left-fielder; batting second behind Emilio Bonifacio.

It wasn’t long before he took over the leadoff duties for Bonifacio, who, while he’d lit up the league at the beginning of the season, was struggling mightily and simply couldn’t find a way to get on base. Although he had never batted leadoff in his life, Coghlan didn’t complain or hesitate; he simply did what he was asked.

What he did actually surpassed everything he was asked to do.

Although Coghlan began the year with a pedestrian .252 average (62-for-246), he finished the season with a .321 average (sixth-best in the NL among all players, and seventh-best by all MLB rookies since 1960). He also had 31 doubles, six triples, nine home runs and 47 RBI. He ended the season hitting safely in 16 of his last 17 games.

Coghlan had 113 hits after the All-Star break, which tied him with Juan Pierre (yes, the former Florida Marlin) and Bill Buckner (yes, that Bill Buckner) for the most in the NL since 1964; among rookies and veterans. He became the first NL rookie in history to lead the league in hits coming after the All-Star break.

The last time anyone had more hits after the All-Star break in the majors was 1980, when Dave Stapleton had 120 in the AL. The only other players with at least 100 hits after the break this year were Derek Jeter (102) and Ryan Braun (100).

He had 47 hits in August, breaking the Marlins club record and surpassing all NL rookies in hits in any month since Wally Moon had 52 for the St. Louis Cardinals in July 1954. He followed that up by tying that record in September. The last time a rookie collected that many hits in September was in 1928, when Chuck Klein had 50.

His .372 second-half average was better than anyone’s in the majors and his 162 hits for the season made him the first rookie since Kirby Puckett in 1984 to get at least 150 hits while playing in less than 130 games; both played in 128 games.

His hits weren’t meaningless, either. He was ranked seventh in the NL batting with runners in scoring position with a .352 average and his .397 on-base percentage as a leadoff hitter trailed only Kosuke Fukudome (.404) and Derek Jeter (.404).

The most amazing part of Chris Coghlan's story, though, is that he only played 25 games at Triple-A New Orleans before getting called up. Also, he played third base in college, made himself into a decent second baseman after that and was shifted to left field the day before he became a pro.

To be as productive as he has been as a rookie, playing out of his natural position, is something that truly indicates how special Chris really is.

That specialness has now been rewarded; deservedly so.

Moving forward, Chris is likely to have a huge impact on whether the Marlins do well next year. It’s almost a certainty the Fish will be dealing second baseman Dan Uggla this offseason (there have been numerous inquiries from the Orioles, Giants and others), which might lead the Marlins management to consider putting Coghlan back at his normal position.

Whether he stays in the outfield or not, his bat is going to be needed by the young Florida franchise in order to guarantee they have someone leading off who can actually serve up some RBI chances for Hanley Ramirez.

I’ve stated before that I believe the Marlins need to go out and get another solid bat or two, especially if they decide to trade away Uggla’s power. But they’ll need Coghlan’s production regardless.

I truly envision Coghlan and Ramirez as the core, along with Cantu and Maybin, of a very talented young Florida team that will compete heavily for the NL East crown next year.

Now that the Marlins have garnered the NL Rookie of the Year for the third time (seems our six-year World Series cycle is broken, but the three-year NL ROY cycle is in full effect), I have the feeling the Marlins are going to be feeling good about themselves coming into next season; especially if they add some significant free-agent pieces.

Coghlan will be a key piece right from the start next year. I look forward to him shining even brighter than he did this year, which is hard to imagine. Could Chris actually become the first player since the “Splendid Splinter” Ted Williams to hit for .400?

Stay tuned.

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Marlins' Chris Coghlan Wins National League Rookie of the Year Award

Adam Bernacchio — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:53:56 -0500

My preseason NL Rookie of the Year pick: Cameron Maybin

NL Rookie of the Year winner: Chris Coghlan

At least I got the team right.

According to ESPN.com, Florida Marlins left fielder Chris Coghlan has been voted National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Coghlan received 17 first-place votes and 105 points overall. Philadelphia Phillies’ pitcher JA Happ finished second with 94 votes.

Coghlan led all National League rookies in average with .321, hits with 162, doubles with 31, OBP with .390, and finished second in OPS with .850.

Coghlan used a torrid second half to win this award. In the second half of the season, Coghlan led all of baseball in hits with 113 and hit a ridiculous .372.

I have no problem with Coghlan winning this award. Was Coghlan’s defense great in left field? No, it wasn’t at all. Could a compelling case be made for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen? Absolutely.

But these awards are 90 percent based on offense. And offensively, Coghlan had the best year. If I had a vote, I would have voted for Coghlan, too.

Coghlan becomes the third Marlin to win this award. Hanley Ramirez won the award in 2006 and Dontrelle Willis won in 2003.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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What is Dan Uggla's Trade Market?

Adam Bernacchio — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:08:43 -0500

Outside of Roy Halladay, the player we are most likely to hear involved in trade rumors is Florida Marlins 2B Dan Uggla. This really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone as any player on the Marlins making more than $1 million is a trade candidate.

So if the Marlins are to trade Uggla, what type of player are they trading, and what type of return should they expect?

As always, here are the pros, the cons, and the potential suitors for Uggla.

Pros

In terms of being an offensive second baseman, Uggla ranks right at the top. In the last three years, Uggla leads all major league second baseman in home runs with 94 and ranks fourth in OPS with a .829 mark.

Uggla also knows how to work the count, which is ever so important in today’s game. Over the last three years, Uggla ranks second amongst all second baseman in walks with 235.

Last year, Uggla set a career high in walks with 92.

Cons

Poor Danny Uggs. Uggla was rolling in 2008 to the tune of a first half line of .286/.374/.605 with 23 home runs. Then, the night of July 15th happened.

That night was the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

Uggla had perhaps the worst All-Star Game for a position player in the history of the game. Uggla struck out three times and committed three errors in the 4-3 National League loss.

Uggla hasn’t been the same since that night.

Since that night, Uggla has hit only .235 with a .774 OPS. I don’t think we can attribute all of Uggla’s struggles to that fateful night in the Bronx, but I don’t think it is just a coincidence either.

Uggla was embarrassed on a national stage, and you never know how that will affect someone in the long-term.

Not only has Uggla dipped offensively since that night, but Uggla is a terrible defensive second baseman. Uggla consistently ranks towards the bottom amongst all second baseman in fielding.

2009 was no exception.

In 2009, Uggla made 16 errors, which was the second most by second baseman and had a -10.1 UZR. His -10.1 UZR ranked him second to last amongst second baseman, only ahead of Luis Castillo.

Uggla will probably have to move to third base, first base, or even DH. However, Uggla and his agent don’t see it that way. Here is what Uggla’s agent told Yahoo! Sports:

“Danny Uggla’s been a full-time second baseman for the last four years,” agent Jeff Borris said. “He’s performed exceptionally well at that position. Although he has the athleticism to play other positions, he’s performed remarkably over these four years at second base and there should be no reason to consider a position change at this time.”

Uggla’s resistance to changing positions could be a hindrance for the Marlins in trading Uggla.

The last con with Uggla, is perhaps his contract. Uggla made $5.3 million in 2009 and has two more arbitration eligible years ahead of him.

Are teams going to pay $9 million-$10 million in arbitration to a defensively challenged second baseman?

Now that we have looked at the pros and cons of Uggla, let’s look at what teams might be interested in the former University of Memphis Tiger.

Atlanta Braves: Normally teams don’t trade within the division, but I don’t think that matters to the Marlins. The Braves need a right-handed bat, and if the Adam LaRoche doesn’t re-sign with the Braves to first base, Uggla could be an option.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Orlando Hudson and Ronnie Belliard are free agents for the Dodgers, so therefore, they have a need at second base.

Though, if they are going to go the Uggla route, they should just re-sign Hudson. Uggla and Hudson were of equal value in 2009 according to Fangraphs, and Hudson wouldn’t cost the Dodgers any players.

San Francisco Giants: The Giants just re-signed Freddie Sanchez to play second base, but the Giants could look at Uggla as a first baseman.

Oakland A’s. Though GM Billy Beane has tried to build a more athletic A’s team recently, Uggla is a classic “Moneyball” type player—low average, high OBP, can’t play defense.

Uggla would be a nice DH option for the A’s.

Seattle Mariners: The Mariners need a third baseman and a DH. If Uggla is willing to shift over to third, he could be a good fit in Seattle.

Texas Rangers: The Rangers are a little bit of a stretch, but Uggla could serve as the Rangers’ DH and insurance at second when Ian Kinsler makes his annual trip to the DL in 2010.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Dan Uggla's Stubbornness is Hurting His Trade Value

Jeremiah Graves — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:43:30 -0500

Dan Uggla has no qualms about changing teams.

Changing positions, however, is a whole different ballgame.

Uggla, 29, is due a substantial raise via arbitration, and finds himself on the trading block as a result.

The Florida Marlins aren’t inclined to give him a raise on the $5.35 million he made in 2009, and with internal options available, an Uggla trade seems inevitable.

The Marlins have received overtures from many teams with interest in the slugging second baseman.

The Red Sox, Braves, Giants, Twins, Orioles, and a host of others have reportedly inquired about his availability—but here’s the kicker—none of those teams view him as a second baseman.

In Boston and Atlanta he’s viewed as a left fielder.

In San Francisco, Baltimore, and Minnesota he’s a third baseman.

To Uggla and his agent, he’s a second baseman, period.

“Danny Uggla's been a full-time second baseman for the last four years," Uggla's agent, Jeff Borris, told Yahoo! Sports. "He's performed exceptionally well at the position.”

Maybe I missed it, but when exactly did Uggla play an exceptional second base?

Common opinion and a whole slew of fancy metrics all say otherwise.

In fact, based on UZR/150 —the current stat de jour—Uggla is a below average second baseman.

He rated an abysmal 9.6 runs below average last season.

How bad is that, you ask?

Well to put it in perspective, only 214 year old Luis Castillo ranked lower among full-time second baseman.

Needless to say, when the only guy you’re ranking ahead of is Luis Castillo, you’re by no means an exceptional second baseman.

Admittedly, Uggla does have every right to object to a position change.

He is, undoubtedly, one of the more prolific sluggers at this position.

In his four years in the big leagues, he’s hit .257/.344/.482 while averaging an impressive 100 runs, 35 doubles, 30 home runs, and 90 runs batted in per season.

Those numbers notwithstanding, he has little leverage to place demands on whichever club he lands with this offseason. Uggla is a below average second baseman with the glove and hits like a corner infielder or outfielder, so it only makes sense that he move to a corner.

Alfonso Soriano was in a similar situation in 2006 after he was acquired by the Washington Nationals. Despite his initial refusal he ended up in left field and has played less than four innings at the keystone corner since his move to the outfield.

In comparison, Soriano had drastically more clout and career success than Uggla when he made—and eventually lost—his stand on remaining at second base.

If an accomplished veteran like Soriano didn’t have power to pick his position, it’s doubtful that a four-year player such as Uggla would be able to call his own shots.

It would be in the best interest of Uggla and his agent to quit fighting the inevitable and accept the fact that a position change may be in order if/when the Marlins finally trade Uggla.

He has nothing to lose by switching positions now, he is still two years from free agency, and by the time he becomes a free agent, it is unlikely that any team would seriously consider giving him a long-term deal to serve as a starting second baseman.

Uggla’s best bet is to accept the change and establish himself as a force at a corner position over the next two seasons.

In doing so, Uggla can still earn his big payday and will be able to market himself as a legitimate power bat with—hopefully—league average defense.

If he is unwilling to accept the move, he can spend the next two years slugging homers and botching plays at second base, all the while proving he’s stubborn and not a team player.

Yeah, that’ll get the suitors lining up to fill his pockets with cash.

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